I am so excited for the Chicago Young Adult Book Festival this year because I am absolutely loving the books by this year’s authors.
I am going to start by saying that this was a book I don’t relate to at all. I come from a very supportive family who let both my brother and I follow our passions and major in theatre in college so I didn’t grow up in a world at all like Maya’s.
Samira Ahmed is a great new voice in YA literature. She has managed to craft a book that deals with hard and heavy subjects while still managing to stay a fun and goofy romance at heart. Even though I couldn’t relate to Maya’s specific experiences, she is a very relatable teenager, talking with a very believable teen voice. Ahmed also makes sure to shine light on hate crimes, something that I think is so incredibly important. The world is scary and we need more stories of acceptance. This book is a good addition to the YA world.
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